Delivery of energy to a target region of a patient's body to satisfy therapeutic requirements precisely

Abstract

A system can deliver a specific amount of energy to a target region of a patients body by scanning an energy beam over a precise path. The system can include a beam-path determination unit that defines the path and a duration for an energy beam to deliver a dose and/or a fluence of energy to the target region of the patients body of the shape and/or the size. The system can also include an energy delivery system comprising an energy source that projects the energy beam for the duration and director device that directs (or scans) the energy beam along the path to deliver the dose and/or the fluence to the target region to achieve the dose profile and/or the fluence profile.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system that delivers a dose profile and/or a fluence profile to a target region of a patient's body of a shape or a size, comprising:
 a beam-path determination unit configured to define a path and duration for an energy beam to deliver a dose and/or a fluence of energy to the target region of the patient's body of the shape and/or the size;   an energy delivery system comprising an energy source and director device, coupled to the beam-path determination unit, wherein the energy source is configured to project the energy beam for the duration and the director device is configured to direct the energy beam along the path to deliver the dose and/or the fluence to the target region of the patient's body to achieve the dose profile and/or the fluence profile.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the energy beam is projected with a delivery characteristic based on the dose profile and/or the fluence profile,
 wherein the delivery characteristic comprises at least one of a beam scan rate, a beam path repetition number, a beam power, a beam power modulation pattern and/or rate, a beam size, a beam collimation, divergence, or convergence, a beam intensity profile, and a beam shape.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein at least a portion of the delivery characteristic is varied by the energy delivery system along the path. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the target region of the patient's body is an area, a surface area, and/or a volume. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the dose profile and/or the fluence profile is defined prior to energy delivery. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the dose profile and/or the fluence profile is defined as the energy beam is directed along the path based on at least one measurable parameter related to efficacy and/or safety. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the energy beam comprises a focal length. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the energy beam comprises a projected shape and projected size. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the energy beam is projected along the path with a number of repetitions of at least a portion of the path. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the energy source permits spectral adjustment and/or spectral modulation of the energy beam. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the beam-path determination unit defines the path based on a marking and/or marker on a patient's skin, embedded within the patient's tissue, or applied to an object near the patient. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the marking and/or marker comprises at least one fiducial marker and/or a drawing. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the beam-path determination unit defines the path based on a 2D image or a 3D image of a patient's internal anatomy. 
     
     
         14 . A system that delivers a precisely contoured dose profile and/or fluence profile to a target region of a patient's body of a shape or a size, comprising:
 a beam-path determination unit configured to define a scan pattern for the target region comprising one or more paths for an electromagnetic beam and to configure parameters of the electromagnetic beam, wherein the parameters comprise at least one of beam power, beam size, scan rate, separation distance and/or overlap of sequential paths, and a number of path repetitions;   an energy delivery system comprising an energy source and director device, coupled to the beam-path determination unit, wherein the energy source is configured to project the electromagnetic beam with the parameters and the director device is configured to direct the electromagnetic beam along the scan pattern to accumulate energy in the target region.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the scan pattern is determined at least in part by external guides comprising at least one of: markings or markers placed on, in, or around the treatment region; transponders; images acquired during the scanning process, and
 wherein the path determination unit includes one or more guide sensors and/or guide image processors   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the electromagnetic beam has a Gaussian intensity profile. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein a scan rate is coupled with a beam power modulation rate to effect irradiation of the target region, corresponding to a treatment region of any size and shape, with pulsed energy. 
     
     
         18 . A method comprising
 defining, by a beam path determination unit, a path and a duration for an energy beam to deliver a dose and/or a fluence of energy to a target region of a patient's body of a shape and/or a size;   projecting, by an energy source of an energy delivery system, the energy beam for the duration; and   directing, by a director device of the energy delivery system, the energy beam along the path to deliver the dose and/or the fluence to the target region of the patient's body to achieve a dose profile and/or a fluence profile.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising defining the dose profile and/or the fluence profile prior to the projecting. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17  further comprising defining the dose profile and/or the fluence profile as the energy beam is directed along the path based on at least one measurable parameter related to efficacy and/or safety. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the beam path is defined based on a 2D image or a 3D image of a patient's internal anatomy.